Group review: Golf yardage devices!
Buyers Guide to hand-held GPS distance measurers
Posted: 21 January 2009
by Nick Bayly
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Cypress Point, California - you'd need GPS here we'd imagine!
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The latest golf GPS devices provide all the benefits of caddie without the back-chat, saving you shots, time - and money!
FOLLOWING a timely revision of the Rules of Golf, digital distance measuring devices, including GPS systems and laser range-finders can now be used in most competitions under local rules. This significant change is set to revolutionise the way golfers, whether be pros in PGA-run events or humble handicappers like you and me plot their way around a golf course.
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Tour players and their caddies often use Rangefinders during practice
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For less than the price it would cost to hire a professional European Tour caddie for a day you can now buy a yardage calculator that will tell you exactly where you and your golf ball are on the planet and how far it is to the hole you're playing. No guesswork, no pacing, no need for a darts-player's skill in mental arithmetic. Such gadgets are vital to those of us who can't trust our eyes and and our distance judgment.
The latest generation of hand-held GPS handsets puts the Sat-Nav in your car in the shade. While the one on your dashboard is designed to pinpoint locations within 100 yards, these golf gadgets use at least four satellites spinning 11,000 miles above the earth to calculate distances within the length of your putter. Some even upload onto Wi-Fi enabled mobiles, saving on yet another piece of expensive technology.
If you're still not not impressed, consider the pace of play. When competitors in 2008 US Women’s Club Professional Championship were each given a GPS unit to use, all three rounds were completed in less than five hours for the first time in the 20-year history of the event. Scores were lower, too.
Club golfers may not take so long toplay their own course, but in new territory these devices could be that vital 15th club in the bag.
Here’s our guide to six GPS systems to keep you on the fairways this season
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SureShot - stores key stats
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SURESHOT 8800
Price: £199
Contact: www.motocaddy.com
Specifications: 4.5 ounces, 3.5 x 3.0 x 1.0 inches
Key Features: Full-colour screen, measures distances to greens and hazards within a tolerance of one yard from anywhere on the course in real time. A unique feature is the ability to measure key statistics such as driving distances, fairways hit, greens in regulation, sand saves and putts. A summary of the results can be uploaded to your laptop for further analysis.
Course mapping: Capable of holding up to 40 courses at one time, although there are currently 2,300 mapped layouts in the UK and 12,000 worldwide, all of which can be downloaded from the Sureshot website.
Membership costs: Three levels of annual membership, starting from £19.95 for 10 courses, up to £39.95 for 40 courses. The 8800 silver package, which comes as standard, allows three free downloads per year.
Battery Life: Rechargeable ion lithium battery will last 36 holes on a single charge.
Pros: Accuracy, statistical analysis - Cons: Limited course capacity, small 2-inch screen
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GolfBuddy: Course upload is free
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GOLF BUDDY
Price: £299
Contact: www.gpsgolfbuddy.com
Specifications: 4.23 ounces; 4.25 x 2.25 x 1.0 inches
Key Features: Already a big seller in the US, GolfBuddy enters the European market with Pro and Tour models, the latter featuring a colour screen. Its large, easy-to-read screen shows distances to greens, bunkers, water hazards and lay-up points. Also features a dynamic green view which changes the shape of the green depending on your angle of approach. Customised target technology enables addition ofup to 11 of your own custom targets, including the exact location of the pin. Currently the only range-finder with courses (up to 20,000) pre-programmed into its memory,. Use it straight from the box.
Course Mapping: 20,000 courses already on the system (14,000 in the US) with 6,000 more added by the end of 2009 and as they are added, users can download them for free. Other features include automatic course and hole recognition, so when you switch on the unit it knows where you are without having to scroll through a menu. There’s also no need to click onto the next hole. Shot measurement and score tracking also available.
Membership costs: None.
Battery Life: Rechargeable lithium battery lasts up to 16 hours, with AAA battery backup.
Pros: Free courses, hole/course recognition - Cons: Needs time to build up UK course database.
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SkyCaddie: 95 per-cent UK coverage
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SKYCADDIE SG5
Price: £299
Contact: www.skycaddiegps.co.uk
Specifications: 5.5 ounces; 5.4 x 2.2 x 1.0 inches
Key Features: Official rangefinder of the PGA of GB & Ireland, capable of 40 reference points per hole,. SkyGolf’s IntelliGreen technology measures depth and shape of the green from any angle of approach - even from the wrong fairway - and shows distances for all targets and hazards. Full colour screen. Capable of storing 10 courses at a time.
Course Mapping: Unlike some models it doesn't rely on aerial photography from Google Earth. Yardages have been physically and accurately measured on foot by SkyCaddie’s team of course mappers, who re-visit courses for updates as required. Claims to have 95% of courses in the UK mapped – along with thousands of other courses worldwide.
Membership costs: Annual membership starts at £29.95 for unlimited UK courses.
Battery Life: Up to 14 hours continuous use.
Pros: Accuracy of course mapping, Intelligreen - Cons: Limited course storage memory.
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GolfLogix: Display is basic
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GOLFLOGIX GPS-8
Price: £229.99
Contact: www.golflogixstore.co.uk
Specifications: 5.3 ounces; 4.4 x 2.0 x 1.2 inches
Key Features: Made by Garmin, a world leader in GPS technology. Offers distances to the front, centre and back of the green and up to six other points per hole. Includes ability to measure the distance of your last shot. Handset features a colour screen, while the screen features the largest-sized numbers of any unit on the market, for longer-range visibility.
Course Mapping:Its software analyses aerial images and satellite maps to produce yardages, which is not the most accurate system, but mappers review courses for errors before making them available and the system doesn't allow customers to map their own courses. Stores up to 20 courses at one time, with more than 22,000 worldwide to choose from (1,880 in the UK). Users can map their own course if it's not on the system.
Membership costs: Annual rates of $29.95 (around £22) for unlimited course downloads.
Battery Life: 22 hours. Runs on AA batteries, so if you carry enough spares it will go on for ever.
Pros: Big numbers on screen - Cons: Rather basic display; limited course capacity.
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CaddyAid: Use via your mobile
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CADDYAID
Price: £299
Contact: www.caddyaid.com/mobile
Specifications: Dependent on user's mobile phone
Key Features: Originally a GPS handset featuring aerial photographs of the actual holes rather than digital composites, so you could see exactly how the holes are laid out, which is particularly useful on blind shots and courses new to you. Offers distances to front, middle, back of green, as well yardages to hazards. The handset, although still available to buy, has now been extended into a programme that is free to download to any PDA or Wi Fi enabled mobile phone. Phones without Wi Fi can be adapted with a Bluetooth receiver for an extra £39.99. Actual pictures have gone, replaced by digital images using the same measurements.
Course Mapping: Courses for the handset were mapped using a $1 million camera that took aerial shots of each hole, the pictures of which appear on the handset’s screen. Good visual reference and extremely accurate.
Membership costs: Courses cost £9.99 each, £29.99 for a bundle of five or £9.99 a month for unlimited downloads on a minimum one-year contract (£119.88).
Pros: No handset outlay - Cons: Costly course downloads
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Greenfinder: Can upload on the first tee!
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i-PHONE GREENFINDER
Cost: £20.99 (application only)
Contact:
www.greenfindergps.com
Specifications: 4.7 ounces, 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 inches
Key Features: Available for use on an iPhone 3G and the latest Blackberry mobiles through iTunes, GreenFinder uses its built-in GPS to display the distance to the front, centre, back of greens and hazards along the fairway. The iPhone has a larger colour display (3.5cm diagonal) and higher resolution screen than any current golf-specific GPS model, although signal strengths can affect timings and overall precision.
Course Mapping: There are currently over 8,000 courses available, with users able to upload course even as they stand on the first tee, rather than having to hook up to a computer.
Battery Life: The application can drain a battery power in just four hours, so users might need to lock the screen in between shots in order to last a full round.
Pros: No need to buy a handset, wi-fi, large screen - Cons: Limited courses, short battery life
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Snooper: Three gadgets in one
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SNOOPER SAPPHIRE PLUS GOLF PRO
Price: £199
Contact: www.snooperuk.com (0870 787 0700)
Specifications: 4.7 ounces, 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 inches
Key Features: Three gadgets in one, trebling up as a GPS system for the car and the golf course, with a built-in MP3 player. For golfers, it provides yardage measurements with distances to the front, back and middle of the green plus bunkers, fairways, streams, lakes and many other hazards, with an accuracy to two metres. Full-colour LCD touch display with 2D and 3D map views. Also comes loaded with Snooper’s Enigma speed camera database, updated 24 hours a day.
Course mapping: Over 2,000 golf courses across the UK and Ireland mapped, with up to 100 courses able to be uploaded at any one time, free of charge.
Battery Life: Rechargeable battery offers up to five hours’ battery time in golf GPS mode.
Pros: Helps user find the course as well as play it - Cons: Short battery life
And for those who like things simpler…
While handheld GPS systems are becoming increasingly popular, all that fiddling around with downloading courses off the internet with most models prevents them from being genuinely idiot-proof. Laserfinders are still proving popular choice for players who want a distance-measuring device that they can switch on and use without the need for wires, logging-on and new-fangled technology.
The only draw back - and it’s a big one - is that if you can’t see the flag you won’t know how far away it is. So playing from behind trees, or with mounds in front will prevent accurate yardages being identified and a steady hand is needed to pin-point a flag from 240 yards out.
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Nikon Lason Rangefinder: No downloads required
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NIKON LASER RANGEFINDER
Price: 350G (£199), 550AS (£299)
Contact: 0800 230220 for stockists
Specifications: 7 ounces, 4.5 x 2.5 x 1.4-inches
Key Features: Depressing the power button provides 8-second continuous measurement. High-quality 6x monocular lens with multi-layer coating for bright images. First Target Priority mode enables easy measurement of the distance to the target (from 10 to 550 yards) even against a background of trees or buildings. The 550AS has the ability to measure horizontal, as well as linear distances, which means it takes into account the effects of changes in elevation on how far a shot will carry. For example, if the pin is elevated 20ft from your ball position, it will add the extra yardage to give a precise distance the user needs to hit it. Illegal for competition purposes, even if switched off, so the 350G, which does away with the horizontal help, is a better option for all-round use.
Pros: Measures distance to the flag, no extra costs - Cons: Not always possible to see flag!
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SUMMARY
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Ideally, I’d like to combine the unlimited free courses and massive memory offered by the GolfBuddy, the course mapping technology from SkyCaddie, the visual appeal of the CaddyAid, which provides real pictures of golf holes, the large, hi-res, touch-sensitive colour screen offered by the iPhone, and the in-car Sat Nav system (including turn-by-turn directions and speed camera detector) offered by the Snooper,. This would create the ultimate golfing GPS system.
The Nikon Laserfinder is the best bet when the satellite network goes down or for those who don’t have access to the internet for all those course downloads and product support.
Before parting with your cash, ask yourself what you value most in a GPS system - the accuracy of mapping, cost (and number) of courses or ease of use. Choose the one which most your needs and your pocket.
Tell us on the forum: Have you bought a GPS system? How is it working for you? What are its strengths and weaknesses? How has it affected your game and have you used it in competitions? Also take the opportunity to review it on the Golfmagic.com review system for the chance to win one of the prizes we give away every month.
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Discuss this story
tried the skycaddie excellent, try the nikon laser last week very good but need a real steady hand distances were spot on, personally im sticking with my windows media phone with freecaddie pro installed, $24.95 for full version of free for limited version still works great tho they are a great tool take away any guessing problems or markers being placed on the wrong yardages - best investment to date
Posted: 22/01/2009 09:11
I am with Ricey, if you have a GPS phone which uses Windows Mobile, why waste your money on a seperate unit. Free Caddie is the way to go. Yes its basic doesnt have the graphics etc but thats all for show, all you need to know is yardage to the middle of the green and bunkers etc. The only downside all the courses are user mapped, so they are only as accurate as they guy who set the course up. But interms of GPS accuracty its pretty much as accurate as more expensive dedicated units as most use the same GPS chip Custmer service is excellent and always willing to develop the software to make it better, so who knows in 6 months how much better it will be. They are working on a Java and Iphone revision, so it could become more mainstream over this year.
Posted: 22/01/2009 10:54
Have a SonoCaddie v300. Has a nice simple format, is rugged and waterproof and works really well. The ability to add points to the map they provide is usefull feature. Unlike some others it's a one off fee for lifetime membership (and unlimited course downloads) but as I got mine before the end of 2008 even that was free. Would definitely recommend anyone thinking of GPS to give this a go.
Posted: 22/01/2009 14:22
I got the SkyCaddie 2.5 from my missus for christmas and its brilliant. Now I know just how far I need to hit it to put my ball in the bunker or ditch everytime!  (well missing them is no fun!)  Seriously though, My game plan has know changed, Course management has come into it more, I can look at a hole and actually pick a club from my bag Knowing that if I hit the ball well, Bunkers and other Hazards are taken completely out of the Picture. Also the Ball marking facility is great! Although my Ego took a bit of a Bashing! The Drives that I previously thought I was hitting 250-260 yds turned out to be only 220-230!  GPS is Great, Im deffo a convert now!
Posted: 22/01/2009 17:34
I've also got the SkyCaddie 2.5 (bought it from AG when they cocked their online prices up!!). I think it's a great bit of kit, and downloading new courses is a doddle for a technophobe like me. The "ball marking" facility is handy. Smash a career best drive down the middle and measure it....brings you back down to earth with a bump I can tell you! Came in handy at Princes last week where the markers on the fairways are all different yardages...a quick glance and you knew exactly how far away you were. Well worth the money.
Posted: 22/01/2009 19:49
next tiem we play together im following you around the course rich and taking a sneaky look hehe. they do look pretty cool
One problem with that statement Josh! Its that you would have to get up early in the AM!
I know you don't do Mornings!
Posted: 22/01/2009 21:10
I have a SkyCaddie and Ben has a Bushnell! Both have their pro's and con's, but in both cases each device is well worth having. The Bushnell is potentially more precise, as it will give a precise yardage to the pin, or indeed any other visible feature. It has the disadvantage that it takes slightly longer to use to get a reading and cannot give distances if you are out of sight of the target. The SkyCaddie is instantaneous in providing a distance. I have mine clipped to my bag and a quick glance tells me what I need to know. It is slightly less precise regarding distance to the pin, but does give you distances to the front, middle and back of the green. As far as intermediate targets are concerned, I have found that not all features you would expect are always plotted, but the majority are. We have cross-referenced distances with each device and they are almost always the same.
Posted: 22/01/2009 22:01
eyeball mark one, plus a clever mega cool device on iphone that uses google earth and gps - just whack the sceen for the distance you need... advantage over all the skycaddies.... you get an overhead map of the hole and its free!
Posted: 22/01/2009 22:28
I have a SkyCaddie and Ben has a Bushnell! ... We have cross-referenced distances with each device and they are almost always the same.
Steve I would be very interested to hear in future if you have disrepancies between the two.
Posted: 22/01/2009 22:45
I prefer to do this on the course when its quiet and there is no wind, in ave weather conditions. Take ten of your normal new playing balls and hit them from your golf bag, both off a tee and grass. I measure where the majority of them land ( middle balls), ignoring poor strikes and laser that yardage zone back to the bag, then write it down. You can do this for 1/2, 3/4 and different types of swings so you have all the details in your note book. You can then take this further by playing into wind, down wind, in colder temps etc etc etc. I have a US Open caddy yardage book I got off Ebay, this really opened my eyes as to the detail Pros and Caddies require.
Posted: 23/01/2009 00:54
I got a Skycaddie 2.5 for Christmas (benefitted from the AGD cock up too). Very easy to use, no problems at all downloading courses (Chris, not sure what your mates are up to but they must be doing something wrong!) Like Steve White, I just clip the thing on my bag and i have instant info when I reach my ball. Interface is really easy to use and i think its speeded up my play and also slightly improved my scores. Only played a couple of rounds with it so far but the indications are good! Very happy with it. And all my sceptical mates are now very interested to the point I am getting very bored with being asked yardages!!
Posted: 23/01/2009 09:29
Robo, I have found exactly the same, there is never no doubting if you have the right club in your hand now, every shot can be played with conviction now.
Posted: 23/01/2009 10:17
Robo, I have found exactly the same, there is never no doubting if you have the right club in your hand now, every shot can be played with conviction now.
Exactly, now it's only my lack of talent to blame! 
Posted: 23/01/2009 10:27
The SkyCaddie SG5 has a 'mark' function so you can work out how far you hit each club - whether you hit half or full shots. I've used it to tune my short game. I think Nick's review is about spot-on. SkyCaddie and Golfbuddy are the best devices. I don't think the course memory is a huge issue - I've only played three courses this year. And I can't see many golfers playing more than 10 - which is the SG5 limit. GPS v Range laser. GPS wins every time.
Posted: 23/01/2009 12:33
I recently got a GolfLogix unit. Only played 12 holes so far but very impressed. Can hold 20 courses on the unit, self scrolling hole too hole and the 'Mark shot distance' facility. Can't wait for better weather, longer days and then the new season. GPS - well worth the money, expect to score better by having more GIR's and shorter birdie putts.
Posted: 23/01/2009 20:15
I'm in the middle of looking for a GPS device. I wanted the skycaddie 2.5 but missed the discount a AG. I'm looking at one of the following. Skycaddie 2.5. Don't want to pay the £160 though. Sureshot. I can get this at Costco but I'm not sore of the price. Like the idea that you can map youre own course. Freecadie. I looking at getting a new phone so I might get a windows based phone and download the freecadie software. Don't know if I want to go this route as I might be better off getting something designed for the task in hand. Also any phone I buy probably wont be water proof, which isnt great in this country of ours and how do you get round the phone ban on most courses. I can just see some stuck up git kicking off if they see messing with my phone when on the course even If I explain what its for. What would you go for???????????
Posted: 24/01/2009 09:57
self scrolling hole too hole
How does this work? How does it know which hole youre on?
Posted: 24/01/2009 10:00
No idea? You can override it with buttons as well. When I used it I was cutting all over the course and had to manually scroll to the hole. It didn't seem to like going 4 - 15 - 13 - 3. 1- 2 - 3- 4 were fine. When playing a full 18 you just turn up to the course and switch it on. It automatically detects where you are and selects the course from the memory. It gives the distance to the first green etc. and once you reach the 2nd tee it has details on that hole..........etc.
Posted: 24/01/2009 10:28
And all my sceptical mates are now very interested to the point I am getting very bored with being asked yardages!!
Ditto!....... They have stopped asking now!  Except on the Tee when I sometime's catch them taking a sneaky peek as they walk by! esp on par three's if the Tee has been moved back! or if there ball happens to be close to my Bag!
Posted: 24/01/2009 10:30
I have a Skycaddie, I didn't realise that if you don't renew your subscription, you lose the downloaded courses. Came as a bit of a shock when turning it on on the first tee last week and there were no courses loaded. Needless to say, without it I didn't hit a single green, either too short or too long through poor club selection, which was a real p1sser as I was having one of those rare days when I was striking the ball beautifully
Posted: 24/01/2009 10:39
I use the Nikon 500G Laser Rangefinder. I've had it 4 years and its the best piece of golf equipment I have ever bought. I haven't been tempted by the GPS devices as firstly I like my laser, and secondly, to me, there are several negatives about a GPS - doesnt give accurate yardages, requires subscriptions, requires the course to have been mapped, requires regular battery charging. I think the lasers are better in every respect, and the one thing quoted against them is you cant get yardages for blind shots is almost irrelevant as its very rare you play a totaly blind shot, and generally its a recovery shot anyway. I want to know the precise distance for my approach shots, its not anal, and I am not a tour pro, but it does make a difference to me to know its 106yds rather than "somewhere between 101 and 112 yds". I am trying to hit to an exact distance, to get the ball close for a birdie. The laser will tell me this information quickly, at every course in the world, doesnt require any further payments, uses almost no batteries, and is reliable and dependable. Compared to the usual useless course planner, a GPS is awesome (if the course is mapped), but the laser is better in every respect IMO.
Posted: 24/01/2009 11:09
I have a Skycaddie, I didn't realise that if you don't renew your subscription, you lose the downloaded courses. Came as a bit of a shock when turning it on on the first tee last week and there were no courses loaded. Needless to say, without it I didn't hit a single green, either too short or too long through poor club selection, which was a real p1sser as I was having one of those rare days when I was striking the ball beautifully
Are you sure? I was under the impression that anything downloaded to you SC stayed on there until you removed it, seeing as the SC only downloads via the USB on the PC. I have the SC 2.5 and love it. Whilst the course 150 markers are accurate at my club, it's great being able to know the exact distance if I want it. It's also handy if you play at other courses you don't normally play.
Posted: 24/01/2009 12:30
Creo, 95% of the time I think there is a direct route from my brain to your keyboard!!! Which makes the other 5% slightly confusing but fun anyway!!!
Posted: 24/01/2009 12:45
Kentish A message comes up saying your subscription has expired, this first appeared about a month ago and I never got round to resubscribing, until I found there were no longer any courses. I don't know if the fact that I charged it up from the USB port in the meantime had an impact, or whether there is an expiry date set within the machine itself, but all my courses disappeared from the handset. Anyone else had this?
Posted: 24/01/2009 12:53
http://opticswarehouse.co.uk/products.asp?cat=144 Use this link mtp, it's Optics Warehouse who I bought my first Bushnell from. The link is to the Nikon rangefinders, you can go back to the Rangefinders page and see the 2 bushnells they sell also.
Posted: 24/01/2009 14:12
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